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Nordic Energy Capital launches city-to-city collaboration phase in Vaasa
Published: 30.3.2026
During EnergyWeek in Vaasa last week, the Nordic Energy Capital project reached an important milestone by hosting its first Transfer Event. The event brought together representatives from all three transfer cities: Umeå in Sweden, Fyli in Greece and Alcalá de Guadaíra in Spain.
Building a strong foundation for collaboration
The collaboration phase began on Wednesday with a focus on building a shared understanding. During the day, participants were introduced to the European Urban Initiative (EUI) framework and took part in a workshop to identify key themes for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The workshop was followed by a project meeting, where the project’s core solutions were presented by local partners. These solutions included the digital twin of the energy system, the integration of energy data, and ways to bring energy topics into children’s learning.
In the afternoon, project partners and transfer cities continued working together to explore how the project’s solutions can be applied in different local contexts. The day concluded with a joint dinner, offering an opportunity to learn more about the EnergyVaasa cluster model and to continue discussions in a more informal setting. During the evening, guests were also surprised with a live accordion performance by local musicians.
Towards a more integrated energy system
On Thursday, discussions continued at the EnergyWeek closing seminar, Bubbling and Sector Coupling. The seminar approached the energy system as a whole, highlighting how data, collaboration and the integration of different systems can enable more efficient and flexible energy solutions.
Rather than focusing on individual technologies, the discussions emphasised the importance of understanding the system, where electricity, heating and data are closely interconnected.
The week concluded on Friday with a visit to the Vaskiluoto energy system. The visit provided a concrete view of how Vaasa’s integrated energy system operates in practice and how the solutions developed in the project are linked to real infrastructure.
A shared journey towards a sustainable energy future
Bringing together project partners and transfer cities highlighted that, although each city has its own starting points and challenges, the transition towards smarter energy systems is a shared European goal. By combining local expertise with shared learning, this transition can be accelerated and its impact strengthened.